Preschool Program

Ages 3 and 4

High Meadow School offers a warm and stimulating environment that seeks to balance the growth of the individual child, with his/her dawning awareness of membership in a group. We consider play a critical part of a child’s developmental work. Our mixed age program provides multiple learning environments that support each child’s unique abilities and provide opportunities that respect their level of readiness and interest. The High Meadow Preschool Program is designed to promote the development of the whole child by using current research and best practice standards.

The foundation of the program is respect for a child’s natural capacity for learning and constructing his or her own knowledge. Each child’s unique development and capabilities are recognized and incorporated to encourage social, emotional and cognitive growth. Carefully chosen materials and rich experiences provide the children opportunities for exploration, creativity and co-operation. The predictable rhythms and routines of the classroom give the children a sense of security. This security allows them to develop the competence to master the classroom environment and beyond. Through extended periods of play, arts enrichment programs and participation in meaningful, community activities the child learns about her/himself and the larger world. Young children are engaged in important work: they are rapidly making connections that will shape their views of the world and themselves, they are becoming their own person, and they are developing the skills necessary to form healthy relationships. Because High Meadow goes from Preschool through Eighth Grade, young children form meaningful bonds with children of all ages.